AUSTRALIAN AND WORLD POPULATION GROWTH
The preliminary estimated resident population of Australia at June 2003 was 19.9 million persons, an increase of around 240,500 persons since June 2002. The world population at June 2003 was estimated to be 6.3 billion persons, an increase of around 74 million since June 2002.

For the 12 months ended June 2003 Australia's population growth rate (1.2%) was the same as the world's population growth rate (1.2%). When compared with selected countries it was the same as Hong Kong (1.2%), comparable with New Zealand (1.1%), higher than Japan and Germany (each 0.1%) and lower than Singapore (3.5%).

The June Quarter 2003 issue ofAustralian Demographic Statistics(cat. no. 3101.0) issued 11 December 2003 shows, together with regular data, a comparison of Australia's population growth with the growth experienced by selected overseas countries.